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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927749">Pivot</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/asordinarythingsoftendo/pseuds/asordinarythingsoftendo'>asordinarythingsoftendo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Family, Domestic Avengers, Gen, Moving In Together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:20:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>979</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/asordinarythingsoftendo/pseuds/asordinarythingsoftendo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The day before most of the team showed up to move in, Tony was in the lobby of Avengers Tower with Pepper...and Steve’s new couch.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Pepper Potts &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pivot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was inspired by copperbadge's brilliant fic Moving the Furniture. There is a line in there about Natasha moving a couch that first made me laugh, and then made me think...what would the 'pivot scene' from Friends be like, with the Avengers?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The refit of Stark Tower had looked so simple on the plans. A level for each member of the team. However, Tony wasn’t over the ‘sweaty workmen incident’, as he called it, of the previous redesign. This time, security was paramount. Crews were out scavenging for chunks of Chitauri tech, and he was taking no chances with the Avengers’ new home base. If a store couldn’t guarantee a secure delivery, they weren’t coming in. So the day before most of the team showed up to move in, Tony was in the lobby with Pepper...and Steve’s new couch. </p><p>Longsuffering, Pepper asks: ‘Why couldn’t you have picked a couch from one of the stores we vetted?’</p><p>‘None of them looked right. Steve needs a couch that says, <em> team welcome here </em> - you know, for his pep talks - but that also says, <em> come here to me</em>.’</p><p>‘Tony, honey, Steve doesn’t need a magic couch.’</p><p>‘Have you seen him try to talk to women?’</p><p>‘He was the world’s first superhero!’</p><p>‘That suit does nothing for his ass.’</p><p>Pepper looks doubtful. Tony prefers to think this is because he has just picked up the end of the couch across from her. </p><p>‘What, are you kidding? I am the CEO of a Fortune 500 company!’</p><p>‘A company that I <em> gave to you</em>. What happened to <em> anything and everything Mr Stark requires?’ </em></p><p>‘You gave that up with the company.’</p><p>‘Come on, it’s only three levels! It’s not very heavy. Try it, come on!’</p><p>‘Easy for you to say, you’re in the suit!’</p><p>‘And don’t you think it makes my ass look good?’</p><p>Pepper ignores him. ‘If the suit’s so great, why do you need my help?’</p><p>‘It’s the Mark XII, I haven’t quite worked out the turns yet. Anyway, if I take it up the outside of the building, it’ll be on Youtube before I land.’</p><p>She huffs, but slips off her heels and slides her hands under the other end, and they maneuvre the couch over to the stairwell. </p><p>‘What is the point of a private elevator if we have to take the stairs?’</p><p>‘Forgive me if I didn’t design our elevator to accommodate overly large trends in modern furniture design!’</p><p>‘Overly large trends that you continue to insist Steve needs in a couch!’</p><p>Hovering just above the ground, Tony ignores this and starts up the stairs. ‘Here we go. Go left. Left!’</p><p>Very quickly, he is backed against the wall, and Pepper is hanging over the banister. ‘There’s no more left, left!’</p><p>‘Okay. Uh, lift it...straight up over your head.’</p><p>The look Pepper gives him is withering. </p><p>‘Straight up over your…yeah, okay,’ Tony says. ‘Let’s swap. You come up here and I’ll lift from below.’ </p><p>With some difficulty, they bring the couch back down and exchange places. </p><p>‘Ready?’ Tony asks, diverting power to the thrusters. Just a little. </p><p>He rockets upwards, Pepper shrieks, and the couch tips over the banister onto the polished concrete. They look down at it. </p><p>‘Any chance we could just get him a club armchair?’ Pepper asks. </p><p>***</p><p>Some time later, Tony is sitting on the couch, working on his new suit. ‘JARVIS, lose the fins, rotate the cuffs--’</p><p>‘I brought reinforcements,’ Pepper announces. Inexplicably, she is now holding a hammer and a pair of gloves. </p><p>‘Oh great! What, you brought Rhodey?’</p><p>‘Well, I brought the next best thing.’</p><p>‘Hey,’ says Bruce.</p><p>Tony puts his head in his hands. He wants this couch to remain in one piece. ‘Bruce? You brought Bruce? The next best thing would be <em>Natasha</em>.’</p><p>‘You know, I would be offended,’ Bruce says, ‘but Natasha is freakishly strong, so…’</p><p>‘All right,’ says Tony, giving up. ‘Look, I drew a sketch of how we’re going to do it, okay?’ He pulls open a hologram in front of them. ‘Pep, that’s you. That’s the couch--’</p><p>‘And what’s <em> that?’ </em></p><p>‘That’s me!’</p><p>‘Wow. You certainly think a lot of yourself…’</p><p>‘That’s my gauntlet!’</p><p>Bruce and Pepper execute a simultaneous head tilt. ‘Oh, I see,’ says Bruce. ‘I thought you just really, really liked your new couch.’</p><p>He and Pepper laugh. Tony is unmoved. Nobody understands him. </p><p>‘I am <em> Iron Man, </em>okay, just...just follow my lead.’ He has no idea how Steve does it. It’s like herding cats. </p><p>He and Bruce each grab an end. Pepper is busy supervising the sanctity of the paintwork. </p><p>Tony kicks off from the ground, hovers. Tries to keep his repulsors away from the upholstery. ‘Here we go. Ready, set, turn. Turn! Turn!’</p><p>Bruce yelps. Tony looks down, and sees him straddling the banister, fully underneath the couch. ‘I don’t think we can turn any more!’ he points out, beginning to sound a little irritated. </p><p>Pepper protests: ‘Tony, I just don’t think it’s going to fit!’</p><p>Tony is undeterred. Bruce is still pink and grey, no sign of green. ‘Yeah it will. Come on! Up! Up! Up!’</p><p>They heave. Bruce appears to be, quite literally, using his head. </p><p>‘Pivot!’ Tony yells, as they round the first landing. ‘Pivot!’</p><p>Pepper casts a worried look at Bruce. </p><p>From Tony: ‘Pivot! Pivot! <em> Pivot!'</em></p><p><em>'No!'  </em>Hulk roars, his head emerging from Bruce’s body. Pepper drops the side of the couch she’s been pretending to hold (which does nothing), and Tony shoots downwards to pull her away from Bruce (which leaves Bruce pinned under the couch). </p><p>Hulk’s oversized head bursts through the middle of the couch. Tony is gaping from the other side of the lobby. ‘I can’t believe that didn’t work,’ he says, gripping Pepper with one arm. </p><p>It’s convenient that the suit’s expression is, by default, unimpressed. </p><p>***</p><p>Steve shows up the next day with one suitcase and the shield on his back. Tony shows him to his modern open-plan living space, complete with million dollar view, bookshelves, a record player...and a gift card for store credit at Living in Design, to the amount of four dollars.</p>
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